Hi all,

I'm somewhat-seriously considering buying a car to play around with. Right now I've just got the car I drive (a 1986 Mercedes 560SEL), and I'd like something I can work on without having to worry about getting it back together in time to go to class the next day. I've known basically how cars work since I was 4 or so, but I have no hands-on experience to speak of, so I want something that's relatively cheap ($1200 or less for something with a good body at least, preferably running, if not running well), that's not going to be too expensive to repair/modify, and which is relatively easy to work on, and which I can be happy with driving when I'm done. Oh, and it has to date from before 1975 because any newer than that and I have to deal with California's stupid emissions laws. >_<

Right now what I'm looking at is a 1964 Dodge Polara sedan. It's not bad looking unless you catch the C pillar from the wrong angle (that's the only part of the car Dodge really screwed up on; everything else looks great imo), it's got plenty of room to pull the 318 and put something more reasonable in there like a 440... and they don't seem to be terribly expensive. However, I know nothing about the cars. So. What do I need to know? Are there any areas on the car that are particularly common places for rust to develop? Can they be made to handle reasonably well for their size? I don't expect an M3 or anything like that but I'd like it to be able to go around corners without scuffing the lettering off the tires... What kind of parts interchangeability is there between the sedans and the coupes and convertibles? Is there any chance of just dropping a dash out of a '65 in (I don't like the 64's)? Most of these cars obviously didn't come with A/C, and, uh, I *need* A/C. So. Are there any aftermarket systems for these cars? I checked with Vintage Air (the only company that came to mind off the top of my head) and they didn't have anything that I saw specifically for the Polaras... Is there anything in particular I should look for with the 318ci engine? I don't intend to keep that in there, but if I buy one I'd rather drive it home than tow it, so I'd like to make sure that the engine in it isn't going to blow up in my face on the way back.

So yeah, basically I'd be interested in hearing any info you guys have got on the Polaras, along with any suggested reading. I'm also open to suggestions for other cars that meet the pre-1975 and <$1200 requirements, as long as they're made by Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, AMC or *any* Mopar division. I'm not much of a Ford/Chevy fan, although I won't rule either one out entirely. However, I'm pretty set on sticking with a domestic car for this particular project.

Thanks.

 

A '64 Polara is a great choice for a build up. It's very easy to make a 440 run solid 12s in that body and still be very drivable. However, you'll find that you can build three Chevy 350s for the price of one stout 440. Mopars tend to cost more to build than the other brands but you have something very special and unique when you are done. In the past it has been hard to find parts for the early B bodies but you can now get re-popped suspension, trim pieces, interior pieces, etc. Still, some of the stuff is not available. You'll have to find used parts. There will be a great swap meet in March at Mopars at the Strip in Las Vegas and in April in Van Nuy at the Spring Fling. The common places to look for rust are the rear quarter panels, floorboards and the trunk. The front fenders, hood, floorboards, trunk floors, trunk lids, dashes, suspension parts, drivetrain parts, some of the interior, etc., are all interchangable. In fact, my brother buys a lot of four door sedans and uses the floor boards and trunk floors to repair more valuable two door post and hard top cars. The C pillar that you don't like actually makes the car more valuable. "Post" cars are stiffer than the hard tops and so are more sought after for drag cars. The hard tops are better looking and can be stiffened underneath with sub-frame connectors. These early B bodies tend to used mostly for drag racing and so most of the suspension parts available are for that. I know some companies are making "G" machine set-ups for A & E bodies. You may have to do a little google research to find specific parts to make the car you're looking at corner like you want it to.

You certainly have the right to build the car any way that you want but let me just warn you about messing too much with these cars. The early B bodies are somewhat sacred in the minds of the Mopar faithful. Swapping out stuff like dashes will likely get you some grief from the "that part doesn't belong on that car" crowd. That said, if you're paying the bills, build it the way you want to. I'm not 100% positive but I believe a '65 dash should fit in a '64 with minimal tweaking if any. You may be able to find factory AC stuff at these swap meets. However they will never cool as well as the newer kits. You may just have to alter a Vintage Air kit to fit. There are people in California that can install A/C and make it virtually transparent. As far as the 318 goes, it's a boat anchor. If all you want to do is drive it home, just make sure it runs and doesn't have any fuel or coolant leaks.

Check out http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/welcome.html for more info on early B bodies. There's a whole section on '64 Dodges and lots of vendor information.

 

Thanks for the info! One thing though:

The C pillar is the one that holds the roof up at the back of the car, not the one in the middle. That would be the B pillar. And I was looking at a 4 door, so I was expecting that to be there anyhow

Understood. I'm like that about some things with Mercedes. However, pretty much any car from this era that I've looked at would need a more-or-less custom interior, so...

We'll see though. One of the 64s I was looking at was gone before I got to it, the other one is too far gone to save, I'm afraid. I found a gorgeous 67 Coronet sedan that I want, and my parents (I'm 19 and a college student, still live at home >_&lt said they might help me buy something. Show them the Coronet, they go "oh, well we didn't mean help THAT much" [:@] so unless my grandparents will help (unlikely, my christmas present from them was to have the suspension on the 'Benz rebuilt), I'm gonna have to let that go too. But my parents did say I could work on my dad's Camaro, which is a '67 RS and was his first car... but I'm not sure I want to do that. I like Dodge. I like Chrysler. I like Plymouth. I like Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and AMC. I don't like Chevy much, and you hit the nail on the head in your post as to why. The Mopars, the non-Chevy GM cars, and the AMCs all cost more to build, but they're far more interesting cars than a '67 Camaro.

 

The C pillar is the most noticeable difference between hardtops and post cars so I assumed that was what you were talking about. The actual post itself is standard fare for just about any two door so I'm not sure what your opposition to that is. If you were considering a four door to rebuild it's your choice but you should know going in that you will never get your money back out of it. There is not any market for four doors except as donor cars or background in period movies. The cost of the rebuild will be more than the car is worth - even fully restored.